


(A Belated) Invite To Eternity

by ussentercries



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Comfort, Derek and Stiles are Mates, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Is Alive, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, POV Derek Hale, Post-Nogitsune, Slow Build, Stiles Has Nightmares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-07 01:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3156032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ussentercries/pseuds/ussentercries
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek didn't notice it at first. It started with Stiles staying a little later than everyone else after pack meetings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the first multi chapter fic I've written.  
> Because of college, new chapters could take a while to come out (probably a week or so) but I'll do my best to keep it relatively consistent.  
> Comments and reviews are very welcome, and I'd love to hear what you guys think.  
> Enjoy.

Derek didn't notice it at first. It started with Stiles staying a little later than everyone else after pack meetings. Just an hour or so, when he didn't want to go home to an empty house. 

Derek knew he was still scared after the whole Nogitsune incident. He always had dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping. Sometimes he'd fall asleep at the pack meetings and wake with a jolt and a startled expression on his face. Derek would move from his usual spot leaning against the wall to go and sit next to the boy. Stiles would shuffle closer and lean against Derek's side slightly, while Scott continued to talk after flashing a concerned frown at his friend. 

And after, when it was just the two of them left, Stiles would tuck his feet up beneath himself and grab the TV remote while Derek read his book. Sometimes he'd start talking animatedly about whatever he was watching, and Derek would lose his spot and give up trying to read for a while, watching Stiles with mild amusement as he made energetic hand gestures, stopping every now and again as the TV distracted him. At least once a week he'd hang around the loft, staying a little longer each time. 

It was a Friday night, and the pack had left several hours ago, except for Stiles. He was passed out on the couch while Derek was reading quietly next to him. He heard Stiles' breathing quicken, and moments later he woke, trembling slightly as he looked around with panicked eyes. Derek turned, putting down his book as Stiles' gaze fell on him, and he took a deep breath. Derek picked up the remote and flicked through the channels, moving his arm round Stiles' shoulders as the boy leaned in to him slowly. It was quiet for a moment, the only noise coming from the TV until Stiles spoke with a shaky voice. 

“Is it cool if I stay here tonight?” He asked quickly, staring at the TV as he avoided Derek's gaze. 

“Yeah. You can take Cora's old room,” Derek replied, looking over at Stiles as he exhaled and gave Derek a grateful smile. 

Derek had left Cora's room alone after she'd gone off to South America. It still had all the things she'd left behind in it, including a few photographs of the family she'd managed to dig up. One of them, of Derek, Cora and Laura standing together with arms round each other's shoulders in the back garden had been moved in to the main room. Derek couldn't bear to see it stuck in a room where nobody would see it, so he decided to bring it down and put it by the TV. 

Nobody had mentioned it, but he always caught Stiles looking at it with a small smile. Laura would have liked him. She was always sarcastic, and loud too. They would have gotten along straight away, being so similar. That was one of the reasons why Derek had a soft spot for Stiles. He reminded him of her in the little things he did. The way he'd raise an eyebrow slightly when Scott said something ridiculous during one of his speeches. The way he rolled his eyes at Derek, so enthusiastically, but with a smile on his face. Or the way he comforted Derek when he needed it: a simple hand on his arm or his shoulder, acting as a gentle reminder that he was there. All these small things that made Derek tighten his arm round Stiles' shoulder as he spoke again. 

“It's just, dad's on the night shift and I don't want to be on my own with the nightmares and stuff,” He rambled, hands moving in time with his speech, settling in his lap when he trailed off quietly. Derek nodded in understanding and kept his arm around Stiles as he settled down and began to pay attention to the TV. 

“You can stay here whenever you want to. You don't have to just use the pack meeting as an excuse,” Derek told him, voice gentle. The pack used to make fun of him, telling him he'd 'gone soft' because he was more relaxed lately. But now, a few months on, they were all used to Derek being more affectionate towards them all. He guessed that's what nearly dying does to people. 

Stiles especially took advantage of it, using Derek as his personal heater and pillow. Not that Derek minded of course. He enjoyed the physical contact after being deprived of it for so long. His wolf did too. Since the fire, he'd had to suppress his wolf's desire to be close with his pack, and to scent them to make sure they smelt like they were his beta's. It was frustrating, but he'd felt it was necessary. He wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility, and attachment to the teenagers. And he was glad he hadn't been like that in a way, after the disastrous losses caused by the Alpha pack. He frowned slightly as those memories flooded to the surface, and he was glad to have the warmth of Stiles pressed against his side. Another reminder that he hadn't lost everyone.

An hour or so later, Derek stood, stretching his arms and legs. 

“Beer?” He asked Stiles, glancing over his shoulder at the boy as he made his way towards the kitchen. Stiles nodded and flashed him a smile, and Derek disappeared into the kitchen. 

He opened the fridge slowly, pulling out two bottles of beer and then shutting it with his elbow as he put the bottles down on the counter. He rooted through the drawers for the bottle opener, sighing when he found it in the wrong place, presumably due to Scott using it. The pack had gotten to the point where they were comfortable enough in the loft to help themselves to the contents of Derek's kitchen. 

Sometimes, if they happened to eat and drink the majority of Derek's groceries, they'd leave some money and a note with an apology scribbled on it. This was another one of those times. Derek quickly read the note, that ended with a sad face drawn on it, and shook his head with a smile as he opened the beers. 

He returned to the couch, handing Stiles a bottle and returning to his seat. Stiles immediately curled back up into Derek, and Derek's arm automatically draped round Stiles' shoulders. It was a normal occurrence now, and he didn't think much of it when Stiles fell asleep with his feet in Derek's lap, or his head on Derek's shoulder. It was just another pack meeting, listening to Scott giving his weekly update of the supernatural residents in Beacon Hills. 

Stiles and Derek sat in a companionable silence as they watched some cliché reality show, making sarcastic comments every now and again, and laughing at the absurd scenarios the people got themselves into. 

They drank a couple of beers, each time getting closer to each other on the couch. Eventually, they decided to call it a night. Or at least, Derek did. Stiles protested, but Derek just shook his head and untangled himself from Stiles' limbs. He cleared up the bottles and turned off the TV before showing Stiles into Cora's room. He lingered in the doorway for a moment, just watching Stiles as he looked around, fingers trailing over the stack of books, pausing at the photographs as he studied them carefully. When his gaze landed back on Derek, he looked down at his feet as he realized Derek had been staring at him the whole time. Derek cleared his throat, and dipped his head too before looking up and stepping backwards. 

“Shout me if you need anything,” Derek piped up, watching Stiles nod slowly. 

“Thanks Derek,” The boy said quietly, giving him another of his shy smiles that Derek saw so often lately. 

“Any time,” Derek replied with a smile that matched Stiles', before he headed in to his own room. He quickly undressed and then switched out the light, laying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling in silence. He listened to the shuffle of feet on the wooden floor, and the rustle of sheets as Stiles got in bed too. Then, he listened as Stiles drifted off to sleep, heartbeat steady and constant in Derek's ears, lulling him into a deep sleep not long after.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek was woken up by something shaking him, and his eyes snapped open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so here is chapter 2.  
> I am so sorry, I'm pretty sure it's been like a month since I uploaded the first chapter, I am awful at this. I'm going to blame University stuff and college coursework, and not my crappy time management. 
> 
> I would like to thank Mel for making sure I didn't make any dumb typos like I usually do when I type (you're fab Mel ty).
> 
> Enjoy~

Derek was woken up by something shaking him, and his eyes snapped open. It was dark, but he could still make out Stiles' face above him, slightly damp looking. He frowned and propped himself up on his elbows, looking at the boy as he blinked, eyes adjusting to the dark. 

“What's up?” He asked, concern etched in his features as he looked at Stiles. 

“Nightmare,” Stiles replied with a sniff, his voice catching a little as he spoke. “Can I uh- Can I sleep in here?” He asked hesitantly, expecting to be refused and sent back in to Cora's room. But instead, Derek nodded and shuffled over, lifting the covers in a silent invitation. Stiles climbed in and laid on his side, facing Derek as he returned to laying on his back. He glanced to the side as he felt Stiles shuffling closer to him subtly. He was tense, but it was understandable. He wasn't used to this sort of thing after the fire. I mean, him and Cora used to share a bed all the time, when she'd have a nightmare or couldn't sleep because she kept thinking about what had happened, and Derek would curl his body around her protectively until her breathing evened out and she stopped shaking. But that was different. That was family. And Stiles was- Stiles was something. Derek still didn't know what, but he was definitely something. As Derek began to pay attention to Stiles' breathing, he realized that the boy had drifted off to sleep by his side, fingers wrapped around one of Derek's wrists gently, as if reassuring himself that Derek was still there.

* 

Sunlight shone in through the window of Derek's room, waking him up. He sighed and rubbed at his eyes tiredly, looking at Stiles sleeping for a moment. The boy looked peaceful, and there weren't the usual frown lines on his forehead. Derek couldn't help but smile slightly as he turned on to his side. Stiles' grip was still tight on his wrist, and in the night, the boy had moved closer to him again, so he was only an inch or so away from Derek. It felt like hours before Stiles finally woke up with a groan, throwing his arm over his face when the sun blinded him. Derek smirked slightly, and rolled back on to his back as Stiles removed his hand from Derek's wrist and turned on to his stomach.

“S'too early,” Stiles grumbled into the pillow, cracking open one eye so he could look at Derek with a frown. 

“It's 11am, Stiles. It's nearly the afternoon, it's not early,” Derek told him with a roll of his eyes as he turned his head and met his gaze. “You're just lazy,” He retorted, doing his best to keep from smiling at the boy's disgruntled expression. 

“Not my fault I can't sleep,” Stiles mumbled, rolling on to his back and rubbing his face with both hands, before attempting to smooth down his hair. Derek shook his head with a sigh and then looked away. A long while passed before he started to move, pushing himself up and out of the bed, stretching his arms above his head. He could feel Stiles' eyes on him as he got dressed, pulling on a new t-shirt out of his wardrobe. 

“I don't have a lot for breakfast. Scott and Isaac ate all the food last week,” Derek said with a frown as he turned back to Stiles, who was sat up on the bed, fiddling with the sheets. He looked up when Derek spoke and laughed, shaking his head. 

“There's a surprise,” He muttered with a grin, before sighing and shrugging slightly as he got up. “I'm cool with anything. As long as there's coffee. I can't deal with the morning if I haven't had coffee,” He told Derek, who nodded and headed down to the kitchen as Stiles began to dress himself.

The boy appeared a few minutes later, leaning against the counter while Derek moved around, pouring out two bowls of cereal as he waited for the coffee. When both were done, he slid them across the counter to Stiles, and picked up his own bowl, eating quickly. 

“It's like a bed and breakfast here. I'd only give it 3 stars though, there's not much choice for breakfast. And the coffee isn't up to scratch,” Stiles said with a shake of his head as he chewed on a mouthful of cereal. Derek let out a small laugh as he looked up at Stiles.

“Fine. Don't come back. Or even better, tell Scott and Isaac to eat their own food instead of mine,” Derek countered as he fished around his bowl for the last few bits of cereal while Stiles grinned at him. 

“They aren't my wolves, you deal with them,” He told Derek, passing him his empty bowl, which Derek took and put in the sink. He ran the tap and cleaned them out. Stiles moved to his side and picked up the dish cloth, drying the bowls and putting them back in the cupboard before grabbing his coffee. 

“Technically, Scott isn't my wolf. Isaac, I can take the blame for though,” Derek said as he dried off his hands and folded the dish cloth neatly. He wandered over to the fridge as Stiles started rambling on about some completely different topic and grabbed a bottle of water. 

He wasn't entirely sure what Stiles was talking about, but it was nice to have someone else's voice in the loft rather than the usual eerie silence he was surrounded by. He didn't realize Stiles had finished talking until he looked up at the boy who was staring at him expectantly.

“What?” Derek asked after a moment, raising an eyebrow slightly. Stiles sighed exasperatedly and shook his head, draining the last of the coffee from his cup and dumping it in the sink. He didn't bother washing it, and instead just stood by Derek's side. He then sighed and began to wash Stiles' cup.

“I was talking about Marvel, you idiot. Marvel or DC, Derek? It's important, I need to know,” Stiles said energetically, looking at Derek with urgency. Derek shrugged a little and thought about it. 

“Marvel I guess,” He replied after a while, not entirely sure about which one was which. Stiles obviously picked up on it because he looked at Derek with a horrified expression, holding a hand to his heart.

“You've never watched any of the movies, have you?” He asked Derek slowly, eyes widening as he placed a hand on the counter, as if steadying himself. When Derek shook his head, Stiles let out a small gasp. 

He then vowed to change that, and practically ran in to the main room, jumping on the couch and grabbing the remote. The pack had forced Derek to get Netflix a couple of months ago, after complaining that there was nothing on the TV.  
Derek dried off his hands again, and then joined Stiles on the couch, watching as he scrolled through and finally settled on Captain America: The First Avenger. Derek leaned back on the couch and stretched his legs out, folding his arms across his chest as the movie started. 

It was essentially two hours of Stiles complimenting the main guy's abs, commentating and reciting the majority of the film, and crying when some dude fell off a train. Derek spent the most part of the film watching Stiles out the corner of his eye, and occasionally paying attention to the movie in case Stiles asked him if he watched it, so he wouldn't technically be lying. 

When it was finally over, and Stiles was hugging his knees up to his chest and practically bouncing in his spot, Derek looked over to meet the boy's gaze. He raised an eyebrow at Stiles' expression, and he then realized that Stiles wanted to know Derek's opinion on the film. He shrugged, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Not bad,” Derek said after a moment. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, and he figured that if he didn't sound overly enthusiastic about it then Stiles wouldn't ask him questions or discuss it with him, and if he didn't sound too nonchalant then he wouldn't offend Stiles in any way. The middle ground was always the best way to go in his opinion. But apparently his answer wasn't good enough for Stiles' liking. 

“Not bad? Is that all you have to say?” He asked incredulously, moving to sit cross legged so he could lean towards Derek in his disbelief. “I just- How can you say not bad to that?! It's like, the best Marvel film ever!” He said, hands flying up in the air while he spoke. Honestly, Derek didn't know how Stiles had never knocked somebody out while he was talking with the amount of flailing he seemed to do. At that thought, Derek had to fight back a laugh, so he bit down on his bottom lip and shrugged again. 

“I'm just not a huge movie fan. I'm more of an outdoors person. I can't sit and watch a movie for two hours without getting distracted at some point and then losing interest when I miss something vital to the plot,” Derek explained as he rolled his shoulders and neck. It had always been the same. Before the fire, Derek and the rest of the kids in the house would go and play in the woods for hours during the afternoon, and climb trees and race each other. He guessed it was just something he'd never let go of. Now, he'd go out for a run every morning, do his usual workout and then mill around the loft for a while, reading or staring out the window. The days passed by pretty slowly unless he was out running or exercising. It was a distraction. 

“That's so weird,” Stiles muttered in response with a shake of his head as he continued to stare at Derek as if he was an alien. After a minute or so of this, Derek scowled and hit Stiles gently round the back of the head, and the boy laughed and shoved Derek in return before standing. 

“I'd better head off. Dad will be back soon and I need to make sure he gets something to eat before he goes to sleep,” Stiles announced as he stretched himself out. Derek gave him a quick nod as he picked up his book from the coffee table as Stiles gathered his things from upstairs. 

“Thanks, for last night. I uh- I'll see you next week for the pack meeting?” Stiles said as he got back downstairs, and pulled on his jacket. Derek nodded again, and Stiles grinned at him, offering him a wave – although it was more like Stiles lifting up his bag as he tried to balance all his stuff in his arms – before heading out the front door. 

Derek listened as Stiles' footsteps retreated, and the familiar whirring of the Jeep's engine faded as Stiles drove away. Then the loft fell silent again and Derek sighed, before opening his book and picking up where he left off.


End file.
